Get the latest BPR news delivered free to your inbox daily. SIGN UP HERE
CHECK OUT WeThePeople.store for best SWAG!
Amid persistent allegations of voter fraud, President Trump’s chances of overturning the 2020 election have gone from a longshot to all but nonexistent.
In fact, Trump supporters may have more hope in seeing Speaker Nancy Pelosi come up short in her quest to retain her gavel in the next Congress due to COVID-19 — this being as good a salve as there could be in having to face a Trump loss.
While the American people are being told that Joe Biden will be their next president, Pelosi saw an undeniable red wave in the House and holds the slimmest majority in modern history.
So slim, in fact, that a handful of Democrats not able to be present next month when selecting the next speaker could spell doom for the 80-year-old California Democrat.
With the Biden administration selections in mind, The Hill reported that Democrats will likely hold a precarious 220-213 majority and Pelosi had 15 defections from her party in 2018.
Adding to the mix, lawmakers must be present on the House floor to cast a vote for Speaker, as emergency rules, passed by Democrats in May allowing members to vote remotely, or by proxy, expire with the new Congress — new rules governing the 117th Congress will be adopted after the Speaker vote.
“The combination of factors creates the chance that Democrats could face a dilemma on Jan. 3 in which Pelosi locks up the Democratic support to remain Speaker, but coronavirus concerns — illnesses, quarantines or otherwise — prevent a sufficient number of them from being in the Capitol to log their votes,” wrote The Hill’s Mike Lillis and Scott Wang.
The article notes that the process would be thrown into chaos if Pelosi fails to secure support from half the voting members.
“In the Democrats’ nightmare scenario, the math could tilt so far in the Republicans’ favor that it yields a GOP Speaker,” the duo said.
Rep. John Yarmuth, D-Ky., was quoted mentioning House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., as a potential speaker in such a scenario.
“Let’s say, just theoretically, we had six or eight people out with Covid and the Republicans have none,” Yarmuth said. “They probably could elect McCarthy.”
With five lawmakers testing positive for COVID-19 last week, resulting in a total of 35 lawmakers contracting the virus, the scenario described above is entirely possible.
All of which puts added emphasis on Pelosi being a vocal proponent of wearing masks, even requiring members to wear a mask while speaking on the House floor.
Today, with confidence in science & at the direction of the Office of the Attending Physician, I received the COVID-19 vaccine. As the vaccine is being distributed, we must all continue mask wearing, social distancing & other science-based steps to save lives & crush the virus. pic.twitter.com/tijVCSnJd7
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) December 18, 2020
Given past practice, Pelosi will assure she has the numbers needed before a vote — the Democratic caucus has already nominated her for speaker, with no opposition.
But keep in mind that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez just declared that Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer need to go.
“I do think we need new leadership in the Democratic Party,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a recent interview on the The Intercept. “I think one of the things that I have struggled with, I think that a lot of people struggle with, is the internal dynamics of the House has made it such that there [are] very little options for succession.”
AOC deemed herself not quite ready yet to fill Pelosi’s shoes.
“The House is extraordinarily complex and I’m not ready,” she said. “It can’t be me. I know that I couldn’t do that job.”
DONATE TO BIZPAC REVIEW
Please help us! If you are fed up with letting radical big tech execs, phony fact-checkers, tyrannical liberals and a lying mainstream media have unprecedented power over your news please consider making a donation to BPR to help us fight them. Now is the time. Truth has never been more critical!
[email protected]
The longest-tenured writer at BizPac Review, Tom grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills.
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.
